There is something that pushes me to read and write in the fall. I am not quite sure what it is, but the handful of times I have tried my luck at writing a book, they occurred in the leafy months. Maybe it is the colder weather or the dwindling sunlight; or maybe it is the warm sweaters or (for the first time this year) joggers.
I guess there is something writerly about the falling leaves and the blowing wind and the strange decorations some people place in their front yards, like monsters with hatchets or zombie-infested nativity scenes. What it is about the macabre that gets my brain dancing in an imaginative swing is probably a good question for a psychoanalyst, but I would rather try to internalize my own madness and convert it to creativity—if that is even possible.
I think, overall, there is a great deal of imagination this time of year, from the Halloween television specials to the fall books I have not read yet that are still sitting on my shelf. There are artists creating works that they drop on social media that could be polite images of turkeys and pumpkins or creatures from your worst nightmares (I enjoy them all, I think). It seems like after the summer everybody is ready to just sit down with a cup of hot java and start crafting some insular tales and images straight from the wilds of the October country.
Additionally, having a three-year-old child helps stimulate my brain because when she is around, I am always thinking of new and different ways to interact with her, which may include draping a blanket over my head and pretending to be a ghost or running around through the leaves outside. And then there are her shows. Her shows! Her shows (especially around the fall season) have crazy plot structures, insane characters, and settings straight from the brains of maniacs (I am definitely referencing the much loved—at least in my household—The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants). This sort of jostling of the brain with creativity makes me feel like I am more aware of my own ability to create; after all, if some of those odd things can make it to a children’s show then my ideas must not be too insane.
Still, I love writing, and I love feeling like a writer, which only contradicts when I love feeling like a teacher. So, I guess as we get ready to close out October and push into November, take some time to sit and write if you feel as inspired as I do this time of year, because maybe, like me, that will push you to write more during the leaner months when you feel less creative and less likely to pick up the pen.
